Alumni Notes
Right where he belongs
Everything is cyclical. That’s what Clyde Doughty Jr. (B.S. ’81, M.S. ’96, M.P.S. ’98) says as he recalls why he came to NYIT as a student in 1976 – and why 30 years later, he’s still here.
It was Clyde’s high school coach, Sheldon Schneider, who first introduced him to NYIT and helped him obtain a basketball scholarship.
Coach Schneider’s guidance changed Clyde’s life forever. At NYIT, he earned a college education, met his future wife, Pamela, developed a rewarding career, and is now sending his children to NYIT. “It’s been more of a home to me than my home,” he says.
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Clyde was one of the few African Americans attending NYIT in the late 1970s, and the group quickly formed a tight bond. Together, they helped each other navigate the rigors of earning a college education. “It was a very involved and challenging experience, but it was also extremely rewarding,” he adds.
In 1980, Clyde and his teammates brought the NYIT basketball team to its first and only National Collegiate Athletics Association championship game. Despite losing to Virginia Union University, Clyde says it was an experience he will cherish for the rest of his life.
Although that game concluded his collegiate basketball career, Clyde remained with the NYIT athletics department, volunteering until he was finally offered a job in 1982 as the academic adviser for student athletes. He remained dedicated to the department, working his way up to the director of intercollegiate athletics and recreation in 1988. He calls the position a blessing.
“I’ve witnessed a tremendous amount of change over the years. Our progress has been monumental,” says Clyde.
While Clyde is pleased with the increasing prowess of NYIT’s athletic teams, he is more excited with the increasing grade point averages of the athletes. “If we win the battle of properly educating our students, we will have fulfilled our mission and positioned each graduate for success.”
As for Coach Schneider, the man who introduced Clyde to NYIT nearly 30 years ago, he now works in the college’s athletics department as a supervisor of recreation. “Now that is truly cyclical!” adds Clyde.
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